Monday 21st May

Having loaded the car the previous evening it was an early start to catch the Euro Tunnel train from Folkstone to Calais. We hit the road at about 6.30 and chewed up the miles and arrived in plenty of time, even though we got lost in Folkstone; this was to become a theme throughout our trip – we spent far too much time listening to loud music, eating M&Ms, wine gums etc, and not enough time looking at the sign posts or map reading.

Once in France we made our way through Belgium (getting lost in Brussels) and then onto Germany and the autobahns; it's true what they say about the speed at which a lot of the cars travel.

As the night drew in we decided that the sensible thing to do would be to find a place to sleep. Eventually we found a hotel in Ulm on the southern border of Germany.

Yes - they're at the Giro

Tuesday 22nd May

The aim today is to get to Cortina d’Ampezzo in north east Italy; the following day's stage is to finish there. We arrive mid-afternoon and are fortunate enough to immediately stumble across a B&B which has rooms available and somewhere to keep our bikes safe. We unpack, get our gear on and go to sample some of the mountainous roads before nightfall. It very quickly becomes apparent that a lot of other cyclists are out looking at the finish to the following day's stage as well, and we also discover that the B&B we were staying at is directly on the route to the finish. The scenery is nothing short of breath-taking, the road is lined with pine trees on both sides as you ascend the mountain, switching back at short intervals, and we finally reach the summit of the Passo Falzarego.

At the summit of a relatively short climb

It's a relatively short climb at a mere 10 kilos but is very scenic, and at the top we stumble across some Australians coming up from the other side; after exchanging pleasantries with our antipodean friends with the light drawing in, it starts to rain so we decide to descend our way back to our digs; by the time we get back we are both soaked through. Shower, change of clothes, and we are off out to sample a local pizzeria and a few beers.

Wednesday 23rd May

Today is our first opportunity to see the pros in the flesh, but first we need to sample one of the local climbs. A large continental breakfast and we are on the road and ascending the passo di Giau – it's steep and relentless, but the scenery is stunning. We ride at a steady pace to the summit, a continuous climb of 15 kilometres. Along the route we pass various Giro crews who are erecting the 10km and 15km to go signs along the road; at the summit the crowds are starting to amass. Photos are taken, and we decide to descend down the other side - the road is narrow and with hairpin after hairpin the speed at which you can ride is limited. About half way down we turn yet another corner and to our surprise we come across a familiar face. Didi, the German cycling fan, best known for his devil outfit is painting the road with bicycle images – more photos and we are off again.

A photo of the Devil alongside some guy dressed in pink.

At the bottom of the climb Ade asks the officials what time they will be closing the road to the public, we have time so we push on for another 10 miles or so – all down hill. At this point we decide to turn around and make our way back to the bottom of the passo di Giau and back up to the summit. The descent is awesome and riding into the town of Cortina we follow the course around the cobbled streets as far as we are allowed by the officials – we manage to get to within about 300 metres of the finish before being stopped by an barrier in the road manned by officials – in a couple of hours the peloton will be hurtling through here. Back to the B&B, shower and back out; it's only a short walk into the centre and on the way we each grab a slice of pizza from a local bakery and then onto a bar with a TV to watch the race. The town is buzzing with activity; the caravan includes promotional stands from sponsors such as FSA, Pinarello, local radio with their own stage show pumping out euro-pop, young women dancing on podiums for Mcvities biscuits (I bet they would have preferred £5 notes - Ed), vans selling official merchandise, la Gazzetta dello Sport being sold by the dozen. All of the local shops have entered into the spirit of the Giro with their window displays being decorated with pink balloons and old bikes painted pink, clothes shops dress their mannequins in pink. We can’t help but get drawn in by the wonderful atmosphere.

As the stage draws to its conclusion, Ade and I make our way towards the finish line; with its huge TV screens we watch the final climb before the descent into Cortina. Michele Scarponi cramps on the final ascent and is dropped by the leaders including Basso, Rodriguez and Hesjedal. At the summit of the Passo di Giau he is about 40 seconds down on the leaders and throws caution to the wind on the descent. It is heart-in-mouth stuff watching him come down that mountain pass using every inch of the road to pull back the lost time. Scarponi catches the leaders on the edge of town, just outside the B&B at which we are staying. Rodriguez wins the stage and remains in pink, passing us with all the spectators banging the barriers.
 
That evening we enjoy the hospitality of Cortina at the local bars; tomorrow we are off to the base of the Stelvio.

Thursday 24th May

The route to our next stop is fairly straight forward. The town of Bormio sits at the base of the Stelvio, on the other side. The route takes us over the Stelvio pass and down into the town. Breakfast is consumed, the bill is paid and off we go – loud music and singing all the way. Mid afternoon and we arrive at the bottom of the famous mountain on the east side. Following the signs we start the climb and immediately come across a gate which virtually closes the road; in our wisdom we choose to ignore this and drive on up the mountain. About half way up are road works with a digger and the stone wall lying half way across the road; Ade and I discuss our options and decide to ask the workmen to let us pass, which they do with a word of warning that the road is closed further up the pass. We continue for another five minutes and sure enough the road is closed with an official who makes sure we go no further –  Ade translates as the official explains that the pass is opened seasonally once the snow is safe from avalanche. It will be opened for the Giro in a couple of days time.

Plan B then, back down the mountain, over the border to Switzerland, through a long tunnel, and back to Italy and base camp at Bormio. A three hour diversion; by the time we find a hotel in which to stay it's time for pizza and beer at the market square - the back drop to which is the Stelvio.

Friday 25th May

The big day has arrived. A large continental breakfast is consumed and off we go. It’s a surprisingly short ride to the base of the famous climb and absolutely no problem to find as all we have to do is follow the other cyclists.

Tim says: "The Stelvio Pass is not steep..."

The Stelvio pass is not steep from the side we ascend - at its maximum it’s about 14% if you are to believe the writing on the road, but it is long and relentless and what you don’t know is that the iconic photos of the hairpin road is actually only half distance to the summit as the road then snakes around the side of the col and stretches out for several straight kilos and then continues its switch backs to the summit. Towards the top you start to notice the drop in temperature and although your heart rate remains high due to the thinning atmosphere and continued effort against the incline, you start to get cold. At the summit cyclists mingle, exchange experiences, and take photos to mark the occasion. On his way to the summit Ade recounts at least three occasions when he is encouraged by roadside spectators calling him “Pantani” – in the shadow of greats. 

Chapeau!

After a brief discussion Ade and I decide that we should descend the mountain the way we came up. What a joy – and it's true that you leave motorbikes and cars behind you, but you do need to watch out for them coming the other way.

That evening we eat pizza in the market square where the numbers are swelling and the atmosphere building.

Saturday 26th May

After discussing our options we decide to take in a short ride before watching the stage come through Bormio and then settling at a bar for lunch and the climax to the day's stage. We were told the previous day by our landlady that the ride to St Antonio and beyond is very pleasant; so off we go for a few easy miles. 15 miles later we had ascended the passo Gavia. Stunning, with narrow roads and pine trees either side, hairpin after hairpin, and lots of snow still on the ground -at the top the snow was still 10 feet deep and a welcome coffee shop beckoned. There were a few cyclists inside and an elderly gentleman at the bar with a few fellow countrymen passing the time of day.

That elderly gentleman I am certain was Vittorio Adorni who won the Giro in 1965; I recognised him at the presentation ceremony in Milan the following day.

So, another descent beckons back into Bormio. This time the roads straighten about 7 miles before arriving at Bormio – wow, nearly 50mph.
That afternoon we are lucky enough to watch a brilliant stage win by Thomas de Ghent on a large TV screen in a bar with great food; we really could get used to this.

As soon as the celebrations are over we hit the road to Milan. To cut a long story short we get lost in Milan but eventually we are greeted by Ades’ cousin who has a delicious meal already prepared for us on arrival.

Sunday 27th May

Today it’s off to the centre of Milan to watch the final day's individual time trial. Can J Rod hold off Hesjedal is the big question of the day.
 
It’s only a short tube ride into the city and on arrival we amble to the central square and are welcomed by the sight of the Duomo, the magnificent Gothic cathedral with the golden Madonnina statue atop. The barriers have already been erected at the finishing point so we decide to walk over to the start. Here we are greeted by more hustle and bustle; the team coaches are all lined up with some of the pros already warming up on their turbo trainers. Outside the Astana team bus one of the cyclists was being interviewed – its very noticeable how still a lot of endurance athletes are when they are not at work.
Lunch beckons so we take seat in a restaurant overlooking the start platform. Craning our heads occasionally, we can just about see the riders as they push off at two minute intervals. The minutes go by and some of the pros pass us by on their way back to the team buses, when all of a sudden Mark Cavendish passes in front of us about ten feet away; unfortunately he is just too far away for any of his talent to brush off on us!

The bill is settled and we make our way back over to the finish line, taking in some of the course on route. As you can imagine, the square is now much fuller but there are big TV screens to watch and the commentators, one of whom is English, keep us abreast of the action.

The victors that day are well known; the awards ceremony was very elongated with prizes given to what seemed to be an endless number of cyclists and teams; Cav picked up three (I think) alone – even though he hadn’t won the points competition.

On the tube back we contemplate what has been a great week – next year shall we do the Tour or the Giro ?

Monday 28th May

Suffice to say it was all going so well until we ran out of diesel on the motorway !

Tim Pennell